As explained in a previous post, you are going to find some big differences with the way that we celebrate Chritsmas in Spain compared to your home country. One of the most relevant ones is the importance of our National Christmas Lottery.
For us Christmas starts officially on 22nd of December, as it is the day that we have the special Christmas lottery draw. Even the people that never play lottery (like me) we have at least one ticket for the Christmas one.
The maximum prize that you can win is 4 million euros, but you need to bear in mind that each number is divided in 10 participations, or tickets, which means that if you only have one you can only win 400.000€ (which is not bad anyway)
You can choose any number from 00000 to 99999.
The whole thing is like huge bingo. Each potential winning number is engraved in a little bingo like ball, and a few days before the draw all the balls with all the numbers are exposed so anybody can go and check physically if their number is actually there.
The potential prizes are engraved in the same type of balls, and we have one main prize or Gordo (the Fat one) for 4 million Euros, the second one is 1.250.000€, one 3rd prize for 500.000€, two 4th prizes for 200.000€ each, eight 5th prizes for 60.000€ each, and then the "pedrea": thousands of small prizes for 1000€ each. A total of 2.240 million euros in prizes this year (2018).
Both the balls with the numbers and the balls with the prizes are put in giant bingo like balls containers.
The day before the lottery people from all over the country will spend the night in the street at the entrance of the theater where the draw will take place in Madrid.
The actual draw starts around 9 am. The children from the San Ildenfonso School (school for orfans) are in charge to spread the lottery love. You have 2 children releasing the balls (number and prize) and 2 children singing the prize and the number. All the numbers and prize balls are put in wires that are in special boxes, and the draw doesn't finish until all those wires are full. This takes over 4 hours.
The singing children start by saying the number and the other one the prize, so it is like 74658 and the other one says "miiiiiiiil€", and they put the balls in the wires.
But all of the sudden the kid that is singing the prices put his/her hand on top the wire so the other one cannot put the prize ball in its place. This is the moment when everybody watching tv knows that one of the big prizes is coming. You can see and hear the change of the energy at the theater, this could be the moment of the BIG one!
Then they kids sing first the number and the the prize ... and it is "only" a forth prize. But still, if you have a ticket for a 4th prize it means you have just won 20.000€, not bad at all!
Here you have a video of how it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw07xa9wvSU
Once the prizes start to "rain" the live connexions with the places where the people has won the lottery start. Everybody is happy!
Of course the best part is when the Gordo come out, but you don't want it to be too early as it takes a bit of the emotion out.
This lottery always reaches a lot of people, as everybody has a ticket, or is sharing one. It is simply impossible to know your friends or relatives have a number and not get one yourself. Imagine they win and you missed out!
So you have all the adults in the country playing lottery that day, rich or poor.
And because you win, but not enough to become rich unless you have 10 tickets of the same number, everybody uses the lottery to pay off debts.
This day is also known unofficially as national health day, as if you end up not winning anything, we always say, "It doesn't matter, as least we have health!"
Do you have your ticket already?
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